Electricity will be cut off differently now. What should you know about the changes in power outage schedules?

What happened?

Since December 16, new unified schedules for stabilization outages have been implemented in Ukraine. The key change introduced by the Ministry of Energy is the division of each queue into two subgroups.

In other words, if there were six queues before, there will now be twice as many - 12. For instance, if a consumer was previously in the third queue, they will now be in either queue 3.1 or 3.2, and so on.

What does this change?

This adjustment aims to minimize the number of consumers disconnected at any given time when possible. To illustrate, let's consider an example.

Assuming each of the six queues consumes 400 MW of electricity. On certain days, "Ukrenergo" anticipates a deficit and must limit 200 MW of capacity. The regional energy companies cannot physically manage this because a larger capacity is allocated to each queue.

As a result, energy providers are forced to disconnect more people than the situation warrants. Thus, breaking down the queues into smaller subqueues will allow energy providers to be more flexible and accurately determine the number of outages, while keeping more consumers connected to electricity.

So, will there be more electricity in the country after these changes?

Of course not. The new schedules do not increase or decrease the amount of electricity available in the energy system. They simply facilitate a more equitable and uniform distribution of existing resources.

Increasing the amount of electricity in the system will rely on repairs to existing generating capacities or the construction and commissioning of new ones. Additionally, to overcome the deficit in the system, the most crucial factor remains the cessation of massive strikes on energy facilities by the Russians.

What else has changed?

Under the new rules, the restoration of electricity supply to consumers is now officially limited to no more than 30 minutes. Previously, this timeframe was measured in hours.

Why is this necessary? Power outages in Ukraine do not always happen remotely, which means teams of electricians are dispatched to sites to manually disconnect electricity. For various reasons, they may be delayed, get stuck in traffic, etc. This operational buffer of 30 minutes is provided, which can sometimes extend the duration of power outages.

Furthermore, there must now be a guaranteed minimum of 3.5 hours between outages.

Another change is that the new disconnection rules now officially apply to all regions of Ukraine and are mandatory for compliance. Previously, these guidelines were more advisory in nature. This should also promote a fairer distribution of electricity among all consumers.

On the second day of the new schedules, the power was no longer turned off. Is this related?

No. As mentioned earlier, the new application rules do not increase the amount of electricity in the country. The absence of restrictions on Tuesday, December 17, was primarily influenced by two factors.

The first was the rise in air temperature, which significantly reduced electricity consumption in Ukraine.

The second was the prompt elimination of the consequences of the latest massive attack by the Russians on the energy sector, which occurred on December 13.

So, will outages return again?

Unfortunately, yes. It is highly likely that Ukrainians will have to live with restrictions at least until spring. The duration of these limitations will directly depend on weather conditions and further attacks on the energy system.

In sub-zero temperatures, with the current amount of generating equipment, it will unfortunately be impossible to avoid power outages. New strikes on power plants and substations of "Ukrenergo" could further exacerbate the situation.

According to the new rules, power cannot be turned off for more than six hours. Under what circumstances can this last longer?

Indeed, the maximum duration of a power outage cannot exceed 6 hours. However, it's important to understand that this applies specifically to situations where power is turned off according to schedules.

In contrast, when emergencies occur at power plants or network damage occurs due to enemy attacks or severe weather, emergency outages are implemented, during which the schedules are understandably not applied.

In such cases, outages may be longer—consumers in certain regions and cities could be without power for several days due to issues with electricity delivery.

Where can I find out when scheduled outages are in effect and when emergency outages occur?

This information is regularly updated on the official platforms of the Ministry of Energy, "Ukrenergo", and local energy companies. Additionally, the situation in the energy system and all changes are promptly reported by EP.

Where can I find out when I will have power?

The current schedule of outages can be viewed on the website of the regional energy company for your specific area. Each one is different.

To find your schedule, click on the link: Kiev, Kiev Region, Kharkiv, Odessa, Lviv, Kherson, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk Region, Chernigov, Transcarpathia, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Volyn, Ternopil, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, Chernivtsi, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk.